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Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Vanderbilt by Gloria Vanderbilt c1981

Vanderbilt by Gloria Vanderbilt: launched in 1981 in association with Warner Cosmetics, Inc. Created by Sophia Grojsman.


The press release stated that "the name Vanderbilt is evocative of unlimited riches and splendor, originating from the ingenuity and pioneering spirit of the Vanderbilt ancestry."

Gloria Vanderbilt described her new perfume as "a combination of mimosa and jasmine. We tested more than 180 different combinations. It took a year to find the right one. It was a fascinating process. Our tolerance level when sniffing (different scents) is about six. After that, you lose judgment, so you have to take a little break. We tested it at different times of the day, in different temperatures. It's a bit like cooking, you just keep on testing until you find what you've been searching for. I had never found a fragrance I liked so I decided to create one. It has fruity tones with an elusive Oriental undertone. It's not a floral scent. I hope it's a mystery scent."


Fragrance Composition:


So what does it smell like? It is classified as a sweet floral semi-oriental fragrance for women. Woody, fruity tonalities mingle to create an exotic quality and memory. 

The top note is fresh, floral and fruity blending a profusion of mimosa and jasmine with spicy carnation, fresh leafy-like rose, French marigold and palmarosa with Californian lemon and orange blossom. This develops to reveal middle notes which are "subtly spicy, chypre and woody, created by the blending of Yugoslavian oakmoss, vetiver, coriander and pimento. And finally, Tolu balsam and vanilla give Vanderbilt its oriental base and a lingering warmth and sensuality.

It begins with a light flowery top, followed by a multi-faceted floral heart, resting on a sweet, powdery, oriental base.
  • Top notes: mandarin,coriander, basil, apricot, Californian lemon, aldehydes, bergamot, green notes, pineapple, orange blossom, lavender
  • Middle notes: jonquil, mimosa absolute, honey, French marigold, pimento, jasmine, rose, tuberose, ylang-ylang, carnation, orris
  • Base notes: amber, frankincense, Tolu balsam, oakmoss, cinnamon, civet, musk, opoponax, vetiver, sandalwood and vanilla

Vanderbilt was composed of the following: Hedione, methyl ionone, heliotropin, vanillin, musk ketone, Iso E Super for woody nuances , allyl amyl glycolate combined with allyl cyclohexyl propionate to achieve a fruity green note. Canthoxal by IFF was used for a sweet anisic, fruity (raspberry) green odor. You may recognize Canthoxal's scent in Cacharel's Amor Amor perfume.




The rich, sweet, floral oriental beauty of Coty's 1905 classic, L'Origan paved the way for the utterly fantastic 1912 Guerlain creation, L'Heure Bleue. However, this genre of perfumes lied dormant until 1976 when a revival of the style was used in the signature perfume of Oscar de la Renta. This was followed by other modern fragrances such as Vanderbilt by Gloria Vanderbilt, Saint Laurent's controversial Poison, and Cacharel's LouLou. 

All of these shared a characteristic accord between ylang ylang and eugenol (carnation), the Schiff bases of orange blossom or tuberose, methyl ionone (except Poison), and vanillin, with additional notes of heliotropin and coumarin.


Bottles:


Presented in a flaçon with a swan motif designed by Bernard Kotyuk after a design by Lalique. The Gloria Vanderbilt logo is a swan - adopted by Gloria Vanderbilt after her performance in Molnar's "The Swan" in the 1950s. This logo appeared on the designer jeans that were licensed by the Murjani Corporation in 1979. The distinctive square stopper of the smooth, slim, round parfum flacon features the swan logo. The Eau de Toilette has a silvered top and the swan symbol is etched in relief on the glass bottle.

 Vintage version photos below:







Fate of the Fragrance:


Originally sold by Warner Cosmetics and acquired by Cosmair in 1984 (L'Oréal's licensed distributor in the United States). In 1998, Cosmair's press materials describe the fragrance as "A semi-oriental floral bouquet blending of mimosa, jasmine, and orange flower with spicy carnation and fresh leafy-like rose. Woody, fruity tonalities mingle to create an exotic quality and memory."

Cosmair became L'Oréal USA in 2000.

Vanderbilt was reformulated at some time, probably in the mid 2000s into a floral oriental fragrance for women.
  • Top notes: aldehydes, bergamot, lavender, green notes, neroli and pineapple
  • Middle notes: carnation, orris, jasmine, orange blossom, rose, tuberose and ylang-ylang
  • Basenotes: cinnamon, civet, musk, opoponax, vetiver, sandalwood and vanilla

CLICK HERE TO FIND GLORIA VANDERBILT PERFUME BY GLORIA VANDERBILT

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